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Mario Palermo
|image = |age = 23|race = |sex = |location = Welland, Ontario|disappeared = December 12, 1977|missing for = |height = 5'6"-5'9"|weight = 150 pounds|classification = Suspected Alive}}Mario Natale Palermo was a man who disappeared from Ontario in 1977. Description Palermo was described as having (dark) brown hair and brown eyes (with a hint of hazel, which was identical to the eye color of his mother). Peculiarly, Mario's Canadian Citizenship Certificate, dated 1964, indicated that he in fact had blue eyes, however, that statement was erroneous. He also had a mustache and a medium build at the time of his disappearance, as well as 3 moles on his face; each located down the side of his left cheek and jaw. Mario also had very distinctive and prominent ears that seemed to "stick out", and the tip of his ears were pointy and tilted in a backwards direction (see gallery below). They seemed to align with his face higher up than the average person. His mandible and chin were noticeably quite angular (resembling a strongly diamond-shaped face), which could also be considered and described as being "robust". Prior to his disappearance, Palermo was a single man living at home with his parents and 3 younger siblings. His home life had become severely turbulent from the late '60s until the day he was last seen. That year, Mario had placed a tape recorder on the table at home one night that his father was drinking excessively. The tape revealed a confrontation incited by Mario, and captured chilling screams and a harrowing struggle as he ran around the house in complete and abject terror, running for his life, while he was being chased around the house repeatedly by his father who was wielding a knife; intent on harming him. The tape in question had since been destroyed. Mario was known by all to be a very shy and quiet person, and preferred to keep to himself most of the time; this is a personality trait that most of the family shared as well. As a result, very little information had been shared with his family about his life during and after moving away to attend college in Hamilton and Ottawa in 1974-76. His general whereabouts specifically in the summer of 1976, however, had been well documented in the call logs recovered by Bell Canada, further evidenced by the honorable discharge letters and certificate that Palermo had received at this time from the Canadian Forces as well. His father Giovanni had a severe alcohol problem (until he quit drinking on November 30th 1994, which also happened to be on the day of his fourth granddaughter's birth, as well as the 19th anniversary of Mario's disappearance from home), and was a danger to the rest of his family prior to this. Reportedly, Giovanni abruptly began abusing alcohol in the form of homemade wine, beer, and whiskey in June or July of 1967 (which was the year that everything seemed to go totally awry, as explained in the rest of Mario's story below). His personality, mood swings, and temper had shifted vehemently, that is, depending on which alcoholic beverage he had been consuming at any one time. Every weekend, Mario, his mother Petronilla, and 3 younger siblings had been forced to board themselves up in a room indefinitely by stacking furniture against the door so that his dad would not break through and harm them. This usually took place in the garage at the back end of the property, where Mario routinely had to bar himself against the door for the duration it took to keep his father out in order to protect his mom and young siblings. As a result, Mario, his siblings, and his mother would be stuck in such an unimaginably high-scale situation from Fridays at 5 PM until the early hours of the following Monday morning (he only ever drank on his days off, which happened to occur only on weekends), at which point Giovanni would report for work at a steel factory bright and early at 8:00 AM. He would later return home after his shift every Monday, having purchased chocolate for each of the children on his way home, as well as for his wife, in apology for his actions that were carried out each weekend. This semi-dysfunctional cycle continued endlessly, even after Mario had disappeared. However, for reasons that are generally unknown, it was quite unfortunately and abundantly clear to his siblings that Mario had usually been the primary target of his father's anger and contemptuous rage. Family believe that he ''very understandably ''may have fled due to such conditions, and subsequently, may have taken on a new identity. However, this was not his only motivation, as you will soon discover below. Mario had repeatedly begged his mother Petronilla to move away with him and find an apartment together (in 1977, not long before he left home), as he feared for her life, as well as his own, if she were to remain with her husband as a direct result of the issues and actions spawning from his alcoholism. Unfortunately, every time he brought it up, Petronilla adamantly refused, telling him that she couldn't leave her family behind, even taking the family's dire circumstances into consideration. This was the final straw for Mario. Mario had been fluent in both English and Italian languages. Clearly, Italian was indeed his mother tongue. However, according to his siblings, he did not possess an Italian accent when speaking English. Instead, when he spoke, he definitely possessed the typical Canadian-English accent. At the time of disappearance, the missing persons report was poorly recorded, and many factors/information had been left out inadvertently, allowing Mario's case to fall through the cracks. Tragically, as a result, his case soon went cold. Research and related items gathered strongly suggested that had this been looked into sooner, he most likely would have been found. In early March 2019, Niagara College's Media department, along with Canada's national network Bell Fibe TV have officially agreed to work with the Palermo family to produce a documentary about his life and mysterious disappearance. This is the first time that Mario's case had ever been introduced to the media and public, in hopes that someone may recognize him or hold information valuable to the search effort. It has been decided that the documentary will be in 4-part episodes, which will be telling his entire story in depth (from his personal point of view, personalizing Mario's unique story) surrounding Mario's heritage, his personal life and challenges, his mysterious disappearance, and lastly, the lengths family is going to presently investigate an excitingly-promising lead being currently investigated by each of his siblings and nieces, who for him, are all coming together to help fight for well-deserved justice and closure before it's too late. Life prior to disappearance Palermo was born on August 27th, 1954 in Conflenti (village within the region of Calabria), Catanzaro, Italy to first-time parents Giovanni and Petronilla; taking place approximately two years before immigrating with his parents to Canada. Mario had been baptized (Roman Catholic) in Conflenti Inferiore a few months prior to the move. Ironically, the young couple, along with the travelling group of other Italian families emigrating to Canada, decided to make a stop in Rome before boarding the ship at a grand basilica they spotted on the way, 2-year old Mario in tow. Not thinking any differently, and expecting the overall doctrine to be Roman Catholic, they entered the church. However, to their surprise, they eventually realized that they had unknowingly just walked into a Satanic church, as they were trustingly herded inside (for some unknown reason) by the emigrating group's tour guide, who allegedly was the only party that had been fully aware of the situation they were about to encounter. Mario's highly-religious mother, Petronilla, would later describe the harrowing scene when the young family entered what they originally thought was a Catholic church, and instead, they were immediately confronted with a highly-distressing scene in which the sacrifice of a lamb was in the midst of being performed at the altar. It was only then that they fully realized what had been going on, and at that point, the trio exited the building. Everything seemed to go downhill from there, and it almost seemed as though they had been cursed; foreshadowing the inevitable chain of devastating and heartbreaking events that their family (and mainly, Mario) would soon have to endure. (Side note: Strangely, each of Mario's siblings, as well as his mother, wholeheartedly believed that paranormal forces likely seem to have somehow been involved in the family's disheartening circumstances and occurrences, and each even describe having to have several home-exorcisms performed, and report encountering what they thought were 'demons' walking up and down the stairs each night. The entire family have also witnessed a completely-closed doorknob turning with a loud creak (specifically, this was the door leading to the backyard) every evening around 5:00 PM, right before the door quickly swung wide open to reveal an inexplicably empty room. Eerily enough, tenants that currently rent and reside in this house have also casually reported the exact same thing, completely unprompted. Past tenants have mentioned this as well, even hearing terrifyingly loud shouting in one of the bedrooms (which was described as a man's voice), urging them desperately to "get out", which reportedly occurred constantly; all night, every night, and without pause. Moreover, well before the family even moved in or had anything to do with the house, there had actually been a murder of the home's sole occupant in the upstairs bathroom). His mother Petronilla would also later recall that Mario had understandably not been a very happy camper throughout the immigration process, and that he had been sobbing and sullen for the duration of the boat ride, pleading to his mother (who had been sponsored by her relatives; automatically making her son and husband elligible for citizenship) to rethink the move to Canada and return to their home in Italy, which sadly seemed as far away as ever at that point. As they neared the Canadian coast, little Mario finally realized that there was no turning back. Nonetheless, Mario and his parents had sailed upon the S.S. Vulcania departing from the city of Rome, Italy. The first stop was the docks of New York City. The second stop was Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the three 'landed' on the day of December 6, 1956. They then finally settled down in Welland, Ontario, and Mario would soon begin attending St. Mary Catholic Elementary School, which luckily, was within walking distance of their residence at the time. The street/neighbourhood that the family had moved into was prominently (and almost totally) populated by Italian-Canadian citizens, as well. While in the 7th grade, 12 year-old Palermo joined the Welland School Safety Patrol, which had been run by CAA ''(Canadian counterpart of AAA). As a treat, Mario and 7 of his peers from his elementary school (one student being his best childhood friend, Joe Bora, who also has not been heard from at all since the late 1970s') were chosen to attend a school trip to Ottawa, Ontario in May of the year 1967. The trip itinerary included boarding a flight operated by Air Canada to the capital city, a 3-night stay at the Talisman Hotel in Ottawa, sightseeing, a picnic party and a trip to the House of Commons and Rideau Hall. Patrollers even had the opportunity to meet the current Prime Minister at the time, who in 1967 was 'The Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson.' Mario arrived home on the 21st of May 1967, and his behaviour changed dramatically according to his worried parents, and had been behaving erratically, exhibiting signs similar to those of PTSD. Mario had vaguely indicated that events occurring during the Ottawa trip had been the cause of the mental anguish he had been feeling lately, but refused to go into any detail. The only person Mario had ever told about what happened was his fearful mother, who didn't share this with anyone in the family (other than her husband). The whole family were due to attend church that day, however, Mario had seemingly grown increasingly anxious and frightened (which was completely out of the ordinary) at the thought of attending mass. He refused to attend outright, even locking himself in the garage; screaming and crying. Mario had progressively and quickly become severely disturbed, paranoid and anxious resulting from the incident in Ottawa, and denied to doctors that anything took place to cause these feelings. Because of this, doctors were under the assumption that the symptoms were purely on a psychological basis and unfounded in reason, subsequently forcing them to ''wrongly diagnose Mario with schizophrenia. Feeling that she was doing what was best for him at the time (considering that in the past, she felt that she trusted all doctors with total certainty and blind faith), Palermo's mother consequently began taking him to the Welland County Hospital (2-South/Mental Health Unit) quite routinely for Electroshock Therapy (ECT) under doctors' order, hoping to allow memory loss of the traumatic event to take effect, as well as alleviate the negative emotions he had been experiencing as a result, such as depression and anxiety. It seems to family that Mario had been caught up in a situation where the treatment may not have actually been completely necessary, as the plan had been ordered based on a wrong psychological and physiological diagnosis in regards to his circumstances. This one singular event triggered a catastrophic chain of events leading up to his eventual disappearance. Mario began high school at Welland High and Vocational School (now defunct) in September 1969, and was known by friends and family to have severe attendance and truancy issues as a direct result of his hospitalization. Despite this, Mario had joined the school's Chess Club in his second year (grade 10), and also competed in Track and Field running relays. Mario is not pictured anywhere in his yearbooks (as he would avoid attending class photos), except for a small picture of him running track, and a group photo of the Chess Club (both in 1970 only), which is listed in the gallery. Later, Mario graduated from high school in June of 1973. He was actually scheduled to graduate the year before, however, he had missed a substantial amount of classes, as he had been admitted to the Welland County Hospital for about 1 or 2 months after being formally diagnosed with clinical depression, and underwent countless rounds of shock therapy during his stay. Once discharged, he repeated the 12th grade the following year. After graduating high school, he began attending night school classes to complete an optional 5th year ('grade 13') at Hamilton Collegiate Institute (circa 1973-74) in order to be accepted into and attend university. New information reveals that Mario had also been admitted to the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital at this time, as well. The duration of his stay (or what it entailed), however, is currently unknown. Mario then attended McMaster University in Hamilton, which took place in 1974. In the following year, he also attended Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, where he would soon spend most of his time in the summer of 1976-77. Mario was also part of the Governor Generals' Foot Guards (3rd division, Public Duties Detachment) in the same time period, and at one point, had gone to CFB Petawawa to complete his basic training (BMQ), beginning in April 1976. Palermo held the rank 'Private' during his tour of duty. As of May 29, 1976, a certificate addressed to Palermo confirms that he officially received his Honorable Discharge from the Governor General's Foot Guards, finalizing the completion of his duty. At that point, he therefore became eligible for a pension from the Canadian Armed Forces. At the time, Mario was very familiar with, and often relied on using public transportation and hitchhiking to make his way from city to city, and at one point, took shelter at the YMCA of Hamilton and the YMCA of Ottawa for an extended period of time (as well as several hostels). He wore upscale clothing, and wasn't your average 'transient' traveler. He typically wore wool Levis' Panatela pants, and button-up dress shirts. He was known to also wear Hushpuppies brand dress shoes, size 9 (US/Canada). His family states that he specifically never wore denim jeans, as they didn't fit his style, and he only ever wore black or other dark-colored socks. Palermo was also known to have an exceptionally high IQ (*''more specifically, his IQ score was 155*''), and family states that he was quiet and shy as well as having an introverted personality type. Also, In 1976, Mario had a door sign/plaque belonging to Carleton University that read "Aerodynamics Research Laboratory". That same year, he travelled to Montreal, Quebec in May, the duration of his stay being approximately 2 weeks or so, and he had been generating income during this period. It is speculated that as a result, he most likely had been serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in the province of Quebec, also. Mario's siblings recall that he was an avid fan of The Beatles and Santana (as well as most psychedelic music originating from the '60s), even attending many concerts of the latter in the years leading up to his disappearance. Prior to his disappearance in late 1977, and after returning home for the summer through to the fall season of that year, Mario had also been working in Welland amongst Niagara College's Theater program at Sacred Heart Church, located on Empire Street, in Downtown Welland, working as a set designer. At the time, the program had been celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and rehearsals were being held every weekend in mid-to-late October 1977. The venue was dubbed "Welland Little Theatre", which is now defunct. Mario also had obtained a copy of a paperback book by Faber Plays before he disappeared, that contained a script for the play "The Real Inspector Hound" (written by Tom Stoppard), and a list of other plays for which a script could be ordered. The book had apparently originated from London, England. A date was set for December 13, 1977 for the Niagara College Theater program to put on the well-rehearsed comedy play, Engaged, at 111 Church Road in St. Catharines, Ontario. It is unlikely that Mario was in attendance, and his name was completely omitted from the publication. Disappointingly, as a result, he wasn't even mentioned as being part of their set crew. However, an income tax slip received at his home address in Welland at the end of 1977 officially recorded that Mario had, indeed, successfully received payment from Niagara College for his work on the set. Mario's younger brother would later recall that he was pretty much what you would consider to be the 'jack of all trades', and was extremely skilled when it came to woodworking and building, such as masterfully creating electronic devices from scratch (such as high-quality; professionally made speakers) by hand, which would have come in (excuse the pun) quite handy in a career of set design. It was also noted that to his family, in months leading up to his abrupt disappearance in November 1977, it had seemed very strange that Mario had actually been staying at the family home in Welland for longer than he had normally been up until then (in 1977, he had spent the entire summer and fall living at home with his parents and siblings, which was never the case otherwise), keeping in mind the family's circumstances as described above. He would normally be in and out of the house every month or so, and hardly ever stayed stationary at one location or city for very long. In regards to university (considering he would have had to return to Ottawa in September 1977, in which he didn't), this would most likely imply that he had either dropped out completely, or had been put on academic suspension from Carleton University before September 1977 (in Ontario, the first suspension carries a duration of 4 months which would end in *''December 1977*). Mario had obtained a slip of paper from a pharmacy in Welland, Ontario, documenting a legitimate prescription he had received from a doctor on October 31, 1977; about a month before his disappearance (which had been around the time that he was working with Niagara College's theater program), for the pharmaceutical drug named chloral hydrate 500mg (prescribed as a sedative to help combat insomnia). At the time that the slip was printed, the prescription still contained 2 refills, and it is unknown whether they had ever been fulfilled or not. On November 26, 1977, Mario made the fateful decision to try his hand at prescription forgery, and copied the signature of a local general physician in Welland at the time, Dr. Ansari. Mario had then ordered a sibling to visit the pharmacy and display the written prescription in order to have the prescription filled. The pharmacist realized right away that the signature was indeed fake. Subsequently, he asked to see the slip of paper, under the ruse that he "''just needed to verify it". Mario's sibling soon returned home, and he hit the roof when they had informed him that they left the forged signature in the pharmacists' possession, on top of arriving home empty-handed. Immediately following the 'botched' attempt, local authorities were promptly alerted to the incident. The medication he was attempting to obtain is currently unknown. The next day, which was 3 days prior to leaving home, police visited the household, wanting to speak to Mario. He was then told that the doctor he was forging signatures of was highly considering filing charges for fraud, and the authorities subsequently warned him for the last time that if he was caught doing this again, they would have no choice but to convict him. The doctor later decided to drop the charges. Mario's criminal record is clean and free of conflict, as he has not had any run-ins with the law prior to (or after) this event. This was the first and only time that Mario had attempted to forge any prescriptions, and understandably, this event in particular is one of the main reasons he may have fled his family home (in his eyes, in order to avoid what he strongly feared would be imminent prosecution and arrest for his mistake). He always kept regular contact with his mother over the phone, and it was unlike him to abruptly stop contacting her. After a few days of not hearing from him at all, Petronilla became alarmed and local authorities were alerted. The missing persons report was subsequently filed in January of 1978, with the help of the Niagara Regional Police. Theories 'Current Leads:' *'Living: '''He underwent a name change; living within a new identity in Russia. *'Living: He may have changed his name; living within a new identity in the United Kingdom. '''Ruled-Out Leads: *He may be Markham Doe (DNA comparison; familial samples provided by his mother in 2009) *He may be 1775UMON https://www.simcoereformer.ca/news/local-news/dna-brings-closure-to-family (Ruled out circumstantially in April 2019) *He may be Hamilton John Doe (1978) (Ruled out via dental comparison as of September 23, 2019) *He may be 17UMCA (Ruled out circumstantially in 2019) *He may be Luce County John Doe (Ruled out circumstantially in 2019) *He may be Pops (Ruled out in November 2019) *He may be North Bend John Doe (Ruled out by DNA comparison in 2019) *He may be Dandridge John Doe (Ruled out circumstantially in 2019) *He may be Cartierville John Doe (Ruled out by DNA comparison in 2019) *He may be Miscou Island John Doe (Ruled out by DNA comparison in 2019) Methods of Identification *'DNA Available': Yes *'Blood Typing': Either A'''O, '''BO, or O'O; He carries ''at least one recessive "O'" ''allele. *'Rhesus Factor' (Blood Typing): Positive *'Dental records' (radiographs and charts) Available: Yes, his dental charts are currently being uploaded to Canada's National DNA Databank, as well. Mario's x-rays, however, are currently being tracked down by the NRPS in conjunction with the RCMP, who currently holds these documents pending release. Mario had extensive high-quality dental work performed, mainly comprising of dental restoration procedures using composite resin fillings. *'Fingerprints Available': Currently unknown *'Skeletal (if remains)': No broken bones; Positive presence of muscle striations indicating athleticism (as Palermo was an avid runner) *'Smoker': No *'Coffee Drinker:' Yes, consumed regularly, and on a daily basis (cappuccino and espresso) *'Skin Type/Description:' Caucasian, fair-skinned (see scars and characteristic features below for detail) *'Hair Description': Dark brown, naturally curly and wavy. Hair strand texture: Fine *'Eye Description': Brown/dark hazel. Symptomatic of convergence insufficiency *'Surgeries:' Tonsillectomy performed at an unknown date. *'Characteristic Features': 2 moles on left edge of mandible, near the chin. One tiny freckle on left cheekbone that was approximately an inch or so beneath that eye. *'Clothing (worn on the day of his disappearance)': Button-up dress shirt sized 32, color and pattern unknown. Brown-orange tweed Levi Panatela checkered pants (refer to gallery below for exact pattern) sized 31-32. Brown boots that he had borrowed from his brother (he also took his Hushpuppies shoes with him), both sized 8-8.5 US/CAN. Waltham watch. Brightly caramel colored Dionite leather travel bag. *'Speech/Spoken Languages:' Mario had a Canadian accent, and spoke fluent English and Italian. As Canada was, and still is a bilingual country, he could speak Canadian-French as well, however, he was not completely fluent. *'Possible Alias Names:' Frank, Franco, Francesco *An accurate 3D-model rendering has recently been created in order to demonstrate Mario's facial features and full profile. The model is tactile and can be manipulated to show all aspects of his head and jaw. Note: This may seem uncanny to some, as it does feature eye and facial movement, making it more life-like. The model of Palermo's head is viewable here Additionally, a morph sequence has also been created to show the age progression detail between the main young photograph and the current age-progressed photo, and is viewable here, as well. Possible Clues A legitimate prescription (ordered by a local doctor) was dated October 30, 1977 for the pharmaceutical sedative Chloral hydrate (1x 500mg daily dose, liquid syrup), in order to alleviate symptoms caused by acute insomnia. The prescription was then subsequently filled before being picked up by Mario at a pharmacy nearby his family home in Downtown Welland, Ontario, which also occurred on the date provided. The prescription stated that as of that day, he would have had 2 more refills; simply enough medication to last 2 more months. The prescription and its subsequent refills had surprisingly never been tracked by investigators, although this could have been a very promising avenue of investigation. This sleeping drug in particular was known to have very strong adverse effects upon withdrawal if it had been taken regularly for longer than a couple of weeks before going cold turkey. Even in the 1970s', Chloral hydrate was hardly ever used any longer, and if it was, it had been prescribed mostly in liquid-syrup form. Mario's prescription, however, had been dispensed in pill-form. A slip of paper that Mario had written: "Red wool + black wool - picked up saw dust spaces silk sic materials + steel". Another slip of paper similar had read: T.D. - S.D. 20 mg 24 hr dart, T.D. 30 mg dart". In addition to this, Mario had written "S.D." in block letters on a paper in his Chemistry notebook (5th year of high school), and dated the page being April 17, 1975. On the same note, he had scrawled his Social Insurance Number just above it; as well as a list of professors to "keep or drop". After immediate inspection, it was clear that the papers had been soaked in a red substance, and were mysteriously and significantly stained by dark red splatters on the edges of the sheets, which may or may not have been blood. Almost all of his books and belongings had a similar pattern of discoloration and strange splatters. Strangely, in 2015, Mario's mother received a letter in the mail (at the family home) that was addressed to her missing son, whom she hadn't heard from in decades. The letter was to 'inform' Palermo that he had successfully carried out his duties in the Canadian Forces as a Governor General's Foot Guard in Ottawa, and was therefore honorarily discharged in 1976. Because of this, the letter was also meant to inform Mario that he had subsequently and immediately become eligible to receive his military pension as a result. The Social Insurance number belonging to Mario correlated with information in the letter, and it was known that all income ceased in 1977 according to tax records, and the aforementioned military pension had never been received at all. It is unknown why the letter had been delivered recently as opposed to in the past. The certificate confirming Palermo's military history was dated August 1976, and it stated that he had been honorably discharged from the Governor General's Foot Guards, in the Reserve Force (3rd Division) officially on May 29, 1976 after his tour of duty began in April 1976. The date of his honourable discharge was associated with his successful completion of the Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario on that same date. Additionally, more research revealed that the 3rd Division was not only based in Petawawa as Mario had been in 1976 (located at Foulkes Barracks at CFB Petawawa), but also based in British Columbia (one of the Forces bases being in the city of Comox, B.C., where his friend and fellow veteran, Stephen Mercer had been stationed and residing in until his death in 2011). This may strongly suggest a high likelihood that he could have relocated to British Columbia upon his disappearance. In his second term of University at Carleton in 1976, Mario had enrolled in a course that had been dubbed "Introduction to Computers". The operating system that they had been working with was somewhat primitive, and the coding languages he had been using were called FORTRAN IV and SAMOS. The work that he had been doing in regards to this course was based on learning to use the systems and how to store information onto the public servers there at the beginning of the course. His hand-printed notes from May of that year reveal that after this, he had mainly been taught probability equations and how to compute and solve them, and the like, which wasn't out of the ordinary in particular, considering he was enrolled in Carleton University's Engineering program. Suspiciously, however, Mario had been experimenting there on the side, and on his own for one particular purpose: to find out how many people in his sample population had the same birthdate as he did. The percentage that he came up with at the end of this was 25% out of 100 subjects. He may have been utilizing this to plan a new identity, and how to attain one more precisely and accurately. He somehow had gained access to the computers at unorthodox hours as well, such as 4:30 AM, specifically. Script that had been printed out by the computer he was using at the time also revealed that after completion of this task, through code, he was successfully able to wipe Carleton University's Computer Databases' public disk space and private domain of this information alone. Most importantly, when he had accessed the computer system, he was actually able to bypass the log-on program, allowing Mario to work on it without having to be logged in, and therefore, could successfully do so without having his name attached to it. On November 11, 1977, a letter was delivered to the family home that had been addressed to Mario from the Attorney General/Sheriff's Office, informing him of impending jury duty he would have to partake in. Interestingly, there was a court date set on the 30th of November, the day he left, in Orillia (which was his last-known location as of January). Mario had sent a Greyhound Express package to his family home, and it is suggested that he had most likely carefully planned to leave with no intention of returning home, considering he mailed back a pair of boots that belonged to his youngest brother, those of which he had been wearing for a while. There was no home address listed on the package, however it is known that it definitely had been sent from Orillia. Mario was dropped off by his best friend at a Greyhound station in Hamilton the day he disappeared, and later disembarked at the Orillia terminal, assumingly based on this being the originating location of the package. Mario's brother had travelled with his mother to an apartment he had been renting around that time and also visited the Greyhound terminal there, however, they were unable to locate him despite their efforts. Mario was sadly never seen or heard from again. A letter addressed to Mario from Canada's Financial Collections (on behalf of Canada Student Loans) was received at Mario's family home on January 6, 1979, stating that his account had been delinquent for 270-365 days, meaning that they had received payments up until October 1978, which was almost a year after he had gone missing from his family home, which could also strongly suggest that Mario had been alive at least up until that time (which corresponds with the Hamilton John Doe investigative lead). Amongst Mario's possessions that had been recovered from his mother's home, of which also included additional school binders and notes that belonged to him, was a magazine dated 1977, which was a travel brochure/booklet about booking flights and a cruise to Tenerife, and it is possible that he may have travelled there at one point, but this cannot be proven as of yet. There is also a good chance that Mario may have fled and relocated to Russia, as in late 1977, it was well-known to Canadian citizens (printed in the newspaper, for example) that the Soviet Union had been accepting the immigration of Canadian residents in order to provide them with jobs. However, the downside was that the relocation was deemed permanent, as such immigrants would later be completely unable to return to Canada (or other country of origin), or retain their Canadian citizenship once the immigration process had been rendered complete. As a result, for people in this situation, there was unfortunately no turning back. In 1971, Mario had doodled maps of his own within his high school history binder, mainly in regards to Russia, writing about tactical war strategies on it, as well (this was definitely not school-related, and this was done on his own time). He had also drawn spaceships bearing the 'USSR' Insignia, and even owned an alarm clock at the time that had originated in Russia (under circumstances at the time, it normally wouldn't have been readily obtainable within Canada in the 1970s' as a direct result of the embargo that had been imposed), which his family had recently recovered amongst the rest of his possessions. To back up this claim, many Canadian citizens who immigrated to Russia had also been secretly working for the USSR in regards to military espionage (sometimes as a double agent), and as a result, these people reportedly had to change their names by finding graves at Canadian cemeteries that match the person's birthdate upon departure from their country of origin (and subsequent entrance to the Soviet Union) at the time. This process was allegedly coined "cemetery walking" by those involved. Moreover, not long before Mario had disappeared, Mario had confided in one of his brothers; explaining the tactics behind cemetery walking; explaining in-depth what must be done in order to change someone's name and identity under the radar. This would also explain the effort of his programming experiment mentioned above that he had worked on on his own time. Strangely, Mario had left behind a Gillette brand shaver, brush, and facial hair trimmer set at home when he left. The price tag, still stuck to the original package, stated that he had purchased it a few months in advance (October 1977), and it had been used regularly for a short period of time. This may also prove to be a good source of DNA. For clarification, it must be noted that if Mario is still living, he must only be doing so under a different name and identity, as an INTERPOL search conducted in 1993 revealed that Mario had not applied for his own passport at any time using his full name and social insurance number, nor had he acquired a drivers license at any point in his life. The search also internationally screened every indication found of anyone bearing the name 'Mario Palermo', thus eventually bringing investigators to the conclusion that none of the aforementioned individuals were him. Clothing Worn Palermo pants.jpg|A pair of Mario's pants that had been left behind|linktext=Pants such as these with different patterns was consistent with Mario's wardrobe and personal style sense. Palermo shirt.jpg|Mario's t-shirt from Carleton University ('75-76) Case The last time Palermo was seen alive was December 12, 1977. This is not to be confused, however, with the date that he actually vacated his family home, which was the last day that anyone from his family had seen him: November 30, 1977 (more information about this below). The last person that had reportedly seen him alive was his best friend, who was located in Hamilton, Ontario. At the time of his disappearance, he was not carrying any identification. When he left, he took a brown Dionite luggage travel bag with him, and he was wearing a dark beige and brown (tartan patterned) pair of Panatela wool pants. He usually kept a pocketknife in his pants' pocket for protection, encased in a vinyl/leather sheath. On one afternoon, about a month prior to the day he left home, Mario had been greeted by a meowing little stray black cat outside the back door to the house. Mario had a soft spot for animals, especially so in regards to cats. Subsequently, he had decided to leave the little black kitten some food and milk. Unable to turn the tiny kitten away, he promptly picked the cat up, carrying him into the family home and asked for his parents' help in caring for him and letting him stay indoors. His mother, Petronilla, wasn't very happy with this arrangement at all, considering Mario wanted to begin letting the little cat in the house for shelter long-term, as it had just begun getting cold outside. Petronilla objected, and said that the cat could take shelter in the garage, so food and milk was continuously placed there, and blankets had been placed for the cat to sleep on. After a week or two, Petronilla became fed up with the arrangement, and as a result, ordered one of Mario's brothers to drive the cat to the railyard on the outskirts of town and leave it there so it would not return. Surprisingly, the little kitten DID make the journey back from Port Colborne to Welland, however, he was sadly hit by a car a few houses down from the safety of the Palermo family home, and sorrowfully as a result, the fatally-injured kitten passed away. Strangely, however--a year ago, a similar meowing tiny little stray black kitten began appearing at the back door of the residence belonging to Mario's brother, and the cat comfortably made a home for himself in their family rather quickly. At the time, Mario's investigation had just begun to get underway once again after a long cold case struggle. Palermo's niece had recently uncovered a box of his clothing, and had begun developing a research binder holding his belongings and information important to the search. As soon as the box containing his clothing had been opened, the little kitten dashed towards it excitingly before sniffing it carefully and immediately jumping right onto some of the folded clothing, where he immediately laid back and fell asleep. The little kitten completely refused to sleep anywhere other than on or within the recovered clothing box, pictures of Mario, any of his belongings, a tote box containing his paper documentation, or Mario's research binder. This stays true, even to this day. Mario had also taken his copy of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band vinyl album along with him, and also left the rest of his record collection behind. Ominously, one song in particular on this album (She's Leaving Home) is forebodingly similar to the circumstances Mario faced the day he left, which was also on a Wednesday, and also occurred in at 5:00 AM on that day, which was November 30th, 1977. Also, a single lock of hair belonging to Palermo was found in May of 2019, as it was adhering to the fabric of a dress shirt he had worn in the 1970s'. This has been recently recovered and safely stored for identification purposes. Prior to his disappearance from his family home, he had sat down with his sister, and blankly told her that he had to leave, and she would never see him again. He had also said this to one of his brothers around the same time. Mario had been acting progressively more despondent, detached, and stressed until he left, and family was unsure what to make of the statement. For about 2 weeks prior to his disappearance, it was reported that Mario was often seen pacing around the hallways at home perpetually, and seemed to be very troubled by his circumstances. However, he never confided in his siblings or parents about this fact in particular, and unfortunately, no one knew exactly what was troubling him. However, his worried siblings each recall quite vividly that his emotions and expression seemed to vehemently shift, too, as a direct result of the electroshock (ECT) treatment he had been receiving for alleged mental health disorders. The day he left his family home was actually early in the morning of November 30th, 1977, and it is implied that he had stayed with his best friend in Hamilton for a few weeks after leaving Welland. The friend in question would later confirm the accuracy of this statement in 1991. On his official day of disappearance (December 12, 1977), Mario had asked his friend for a ride to Hamilton's Greyhound bus depot, and upon arrival Palermo had ominously stated to his friend that he would "never see him again", and needed to "take care of business" and "straighten his life out" before saying goodbye. His 'true' destination is unknown. The last time anyone heard from Palermo was January 8, 1978, when his mother received a'' Grey Coach'' parcel from Orillia, Ontario (where he had temporarily been living in the past, as well), containing a pair of boots that Palermo borrowed from his brother and two boxes of chocolates, which specifically, were cordial cherries; a Christmas treat. The chocolates had most likely been sent right after Christmas day. Palermo was soon reported missing by his mother on January 20, 1978. It is strongly suspected that Mario had most likely also been travelling back up to CFB Petawawa at the time of his disappearance, and considering he always hitchhiked, could have been a victim of foul play during his travels from the highways of Orillia to his destination in the city of Petawawa, as well (as he would have been travelling down Highway 11, which at the time, had frequently been the site of multiple murders involving hitchhikers, such as that of Markham Doe). Initially, Mario's family believed that he may have simply re-entered and begun residing in Conflenti, Italy. However, an international search conducted around 1994 by INTERPOL in conjunction with the RCMP (on behalf of Mr. Gilbert Parent, who was an MP at the time, spending years attempting to help family locate Mario) proved negative, as no records were found of a passport or Italian visa under his birth name and identity. However, the relocation cannot be totally ruled out, as he often told siblings in detail that he "knew how to change his name" in order to obtain a new identity, and even mentioned a few times in passing that if he were to do so, he would take on the first name 'Frank', or 'Franco' (named after his maternal uncle), and on separate occasions, Mario often expressed wanting to return to his birthplace in Italy. In 1980, there was a reunion in Ottawa for members of the military that had begun in the Southwestern region of Ontario. Stephen ('Steve', as he was known by the Palermo family) Mercer, who was a long-standing close friend to Mario, had been stationed in British Columbia in the late '70s after being raised in Welland, Ontario. He had been aware that Mario was a Guardsman in the years prior to his disappearance, and that Mario would be attending the reunion for this reason. Mercer had made the long and arduous trip back to Ontario, and attended the reunion in an attempt to solely catch up with his old friend. Once he learned that Mario had not been at the reunion, he then travelled (about an 8 hour drive) from Ottawa to the family's home in Welland. He was greeted by Mario's family, and they were asked if Mario had been home, and if he could speak to him. To his complete surprise, he was informed that Mario was not home, and that he had actually been missing for a significant amount of time. Steve took it upon himself, and promised Palermo's parents that he would find his dear friend and their beloved son, as he had strong contacts that could help him do so. Unfortunately, family never heard back from Steve since he left that evening. Mr. Mercer passed away on March 24, 2011 in Victoria, British Columbia at the age of 57.http://yourlifemoments.ca/sitepages/obituary.asp?oId=485120 Mario had a long history of involvement as a patient in several of Ontario's inpatient mental health facilities throughout the '70s while being treated for Major Depressive Disorder. Subsequently, Gilbert Parent then suggested to family that they should attempt to make contact with these facilities in hopes of attaining helpful information regarding his whereabouts. In 1993, letters were mailed to every mental institution in all of Canada that contained a request for assistance by searching patient intake records using his name and his most recent photograph. Attached was also a lengthy physical description, in hopes that someone may have recognized him. Unfortunately, this effort did not surface any leads. When the international search ended in 1994 and its results came up empty, the family were collectively told that no further investigation could be performed, as they had come to a 'dead end' after all routes of investigation failed to identify any leads, but authorities surmised that there was indeed a strong possibility that he has been living under a new name and identity. All of Mario's friends (one of which who was serving for the Canadian military in British Columbia) were interviewed by one of his brothers, and none of them were even aware of Mario's disappearance, and claimed they had no contact with him at all from 1977 to the 1990s, when the intervews occurred. The only person who had some idea of what had occurred was his best friend, Leslie, who had claimed to be the last person to see Mario alive. Also In 1977, he had already been in serious debt regarding tuition from 2 separate universities (those of which he never graduated from), and this may have also been a motive (if he happened to change his identity in any way) in an attempt to begin anew. After many years had passed since Mario left home and her remaining children moved out of the family home, which took place in the late 1980s, Petronilla finally decided (albeit too late) that she felt it would suit her better if she left her husband, and Mario's father, Giovanni. Her main motive was a result of guilt and remorse about her choice when Mario had begged her to move away with him, and that he would keep her safe, and pretty much proposed this to her as an ultimatum. She believed that if she did choose to leave, that Mario would return to her, so she packed her belongings and moved into her own condominium for about 2 years. Giovanni was reported to have still been drinking, even more heavily, at this time. However, in hopes of avoiding divorce proceedings and to keep his wife, he otherwise spent his days alone at home, cooking just for her (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). One of Mario's brothers would escort him to the condo, and he would actually serenade her from outside her window each time, as well as serve the meals he made for her before returning back to the house alone. He had done this for the entire duration of the separation. Petronilla eventually returned to the home that the couple still shared. Inexplicably, family would report that strangely, Giovanni never once spoke of Mario, or asked where his son was after he had disappeared. In late 2009, Detective Constable Douglas Clarke of York Regional Police's Homicide department had paid a visit to the home of Petronilla Palermo (his late mother), and formerly, that of Mario's, and had informed the family that he was investigating a lead, which had been an unidentified case by the name of "Markham Doe", and that Mario may have been the decedent in question. Petronilla had subsequently submitted a DNA sample for analysis (which is still available), and after being tested, the results were negative. A few years later, one of Mario's siblings came across a particular case file regarding unidentified remains (the file number '1775UMON'). They immediately became alarmed after reading through the file listed on Canada's Missing (formerly missing-u.ca). The description eerily fit Mario to a tee, and family were almost certain that it was a match, as the material and design of the decedent's pants were identical to those of Mario's, and that they are the only pair that is missing from Mario's wardrobe. However, in January 2019, Palermo's niece had contacted the OPP after a correspondence with Rebekah Turner (owner of theunidentified.org) regarding the possibility, but the detective in question stated that it was in fact not possible, as the remains had already been positively identified in 2018 as a resident of Simcoe, Ontario who had been declared legally dead as of October 1977. At this time, the Palermo family were also informed that the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) had somehow 'lost' Mario's original dental records (such as x-rays and charts). Luckily, however, the RCMP do have copies of all the original documents available. As of March 6th, 2019, an enquiry began as to whether or not there is a possibility that Mario Palermo's case may match with that of "Hamilton John Doe". The lead is currently being processed by the NRPS as of July 17, 2019. On one occasion in 1992, a man thought to match Mario's description (as well as a similar gait) was spotted walking on the corner of East Main St. from the Welland Transit bus hub in Welland by one of Palermo's brothers who was driving down the street at the time, facing his direction. This was the last time anyone fitting such a description had been seen in Welland. Tragically, Mario's mother, Petronilla, passed away on February 22, 2016, without ever knowing what had happened to her dear son. She had always worn a gold necklace with a locket, and when opened, it displayed a photograph of Mario when he was around 6 years old. Even up until the day she passed away, she would cry for him every night, and was always unable to fall asleep. Petronilla was laid to rest with her necklace and locket as well as many pictures of her first-born son, Mario, taken throughout the many happy years that they had spent together. The Palermo family have repeatedly contacted the Canadian Armed Forces in order to obtain information as to when Mario had last been at Garrison/CFB Petawawa, with no response from them after mentioning his name and circumstances. Around the same time, an online acquaintance (who is also a decorated Veteran of the Royal Canadian Dragoons) called the base in Petawawa as well, on behalf of the Palermo family, but was told that due to the Privacy Act (FIPPA), they could not disclose any information regarding the military records belonging to Mario. Family still have yet to receive a response from the Forces regarding this topic. In May of 2019, a letter was mailed by one of Mario's siblings to Health Canada regarding possible third party retrieval of Mario's past medical records, and in June, family received a letter back from the ministry stating that Mario's listed OHIP number was an invalid one, and that contradictory to the information they had laid out, accessible records only dated back as far as 2012. Thus, no information could be deduced regarding this topic. Mario's family also strongly suggest that he may indeed be alive and living under a fake identity that had been recently uncovered by his paternal niece, Rebecca. This has yet to be certainly confirmed, however. In late June 2019, an online request was made under FIPPA (Privacy Act) to National Defense for family to legally obtain information pertaining to Mario's service records with the Canadian Forces as a Guardsman. In July 2019, a tip was formally accepted and is now being processed by NCMPUR and the NRPS regarding the most-likely match between Mario's case and that of Hamilton John Doe (1978). Despite initially being informed that DNA analysis would be available, Mario's family was only recently informed by law enforcement that the DNA belonging to the decedent had actually been purged from the RCMP's records at an unknown date, and was no longer comparable. Thus, only dental information was available for comparison with Mario's, and subsequently as a result of the investigation, this match was successfully ruled out as of September 23, 2019. Official confirmation by the presiding medical examiner is pending, and is to be announced within the next few days. An additional tip has been accepted pertaining to the validity and certainty of the prior identification of the main match of interest, which at one point was that of 1775UMON, now known as Wayne Shank. The aforementioned lead is now being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police, who are currently in the process of recovering the decedent's DNA documentation for assurance purposes. On September 25, 2019, a tip has been submitted to the RCMP in conjunction with the Ontario Provincial Police through NCMPUR regarding the uncanny similarities and possible identity match between Mario and an unidentified man who was colloquially named "Pops" by locals, many of whom were fondly familiar of the decedent in life. The decedent was evidently homeless, and he was found unresponsive beneath a subway bridge intersecting Bloor and Parliament streets in Downton Toronto on March 29, 2008 by a fellow transient that knew him quite well. The man that discovered him referred to him as both "Pops" and/or "Joe". This witness never stated a last name, and as a result, it is surmised that Pops may have intentionally hidden his true identity from those who knew him. When authorities subsequently arrived, they quickly pronounced Pops dead on the scene. No information has been noted about his cause of death. It has been well noted by many that the clothing worn by the transient referenced above matched the familiar style and type of clothing that Mario had always worn. Mainly, Mario only ever purchased Levi Panatela brand pants; all of which were tweed-fabric disco pants with checkered patterns in various colour swatches; fitting the decedent's description, as well. As for the decedent's physical description according to NCMPUR, however; according to his family, Mario had definitely not possessed the physical anomalies noted at the autopsy performed on Pops. In 2019, the RCMP had scanned and crosschecked Mario's DNA alongside all of the unidentified remains in Canada, and it has been confirmed that, as a result, all Canadian unidentified remains cases have been completely ruled out as potential matches. ''*Please note that all photographic content displayed is solely property of Palermo family. '' IMG_0691.jpg|Italian Passport photograph from 1956; 2 year-old Mario and his mother, Petronilla Blank 6 x 9 in.png|Childhood photograph, circa 1964, displaying characteristic ears and jaw/facial proportions IMG_0349-2.jpg|Mario's Group of School Safety Patrol Students at the CAA Jamboree (the pivotal event): May 18-21/1967 IMG_0513 (2).jpg|Mario; circa 1965 MarioPalermo69.png|Mario's Grade 9 photograph at Welland High, in September 1969 56502829_1019412141596606_1771032410205454336_n (1).jpg|Rare yearbook photo of Mario and other Chess Club members, 1970. Note the distinct appearance of ears and jaw. IMG_0438.jpg|Mario's student card from 1973, when he was attending grade 13 at Welland High 54257524_410316679728009_4282410984879947776_n-2.jpg|Mario's Student/Residence (September 1975-Summer 1976) ID card from Carleton University, Ottawa, ON. 54257524_410316679728009_4282410984879947776_n-2(1).jpg|Edited photograph from Mario's Carleton University Dorm/Student Card LastknownpicMarioPalermo76.png|Mario's OC Transpo (Ottawa-Carleton Bus Lines) ID card *MOST RECENT* ;1976 Mario-painting-unkartist-petronilla.jpg|Painting of Mario commissioned by his mother in 1977. 6ea53e356eced90ddf9c52f535299b05.jpg|Pair of Levis Panatela pants, similar to what Palermo had been wearing the day he left home. images.jpeg|Exact color, material, and pattern of Panatela pants Mario had worn on the day of his disappearance. il_570xN.1222090693_e42y.jpg|Identical to Dionite luggage travel bag that Mario had left home with. MNPalermo.jpg|Mario aged 19, in the year 1973-74 ('grade 13' of high school, post-ECT) IMG_0576(1).jpg|Mario at Chess Club: 10th grade (1970). Note the distinct shape of his ears. Palermo71.jpg|Mario circa 1971 (1 year prior to ECT); Family Wedding Photograph mariorun.PNG|Mario running: Track & Field, 1971 at Welland High. Note musculature and epidermal bruising IMG_5283-2.jpg|Mario's Proof of Service: Governor General's Foot Guards Discharge Certificate, 1976. 73076359_2458396671084698_2008061961530507264_n.jpg|Mario, circa 1957, Welland, Ontario, Canada 74718040_450211138933698_5372527620804050944_n.jpg|Mother's Day Card to Petronilla from Mario, circa 1959 Christmascardsfrompetronillatomariofamilyonly.jpg|A small selection from the many Christmas cards throughout the years that Petronilla bought and filled out for Mario. Links * Palermo's Face In 3D: Animated Photo * Mario's Life in Pictures: Family-created * }} * NCMPUR References Category:Ties to Italy Category:1977 disappearances Category:Missing people from Ontario Category:1950s births Category:Young adults Category:Cases over 40 years old Category:Possible transients Category:Possible hitchhikers Category:Possible criminals Category:Age progressed Category:Ties to Europe Category:Possible runaways Category:Military personnel Category:Possible migrants Category:Ties to Russia Category:Mentally ill Category:Runaways Category:Ties to British Columbia